Markets also were reassured after Evergrande, one of China’s biggest private real estate developers,said it will make a payment due Thursday. The Fed’s been buying the bonds throughout the pandemic to help keep long-term interest rates low. It also said it will likely begin slowing the pace of its monthly bond purchases “soon” if the economy keeps improving. central bank indicated it may start raising its benchmark interest rate sometime next year, earlier than it envisioned three months ago. Shares rose in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Australia and Taiwan but fell in South Korea and Malaysia. Asian shares were mostly higher on Thursday after the Federal Reserve signaledit may begin easing its extraordinary support measures for the economy later this year.